Top 10 Best-Selling Cars of All Time in America
We can already guess you know the No. 1 best-selling vehicle in America, the Ford F-150 pickup truck. So there, you need not read further except that you might be surprised by the other nine best-selling cars. They span the 20th and 21st centuries, covering almost every type of body and many manufacturers. And believe it or not, two are Oldsmobiles.
The best-selling cars in America of all time
- Ford F-150 pickup: over 40 million
Having hit the 40 million milestone, the F-150 tops the list of the best-selling vehicles in America.
- Chevrolet Impala sedan: 16,700,000
Making its first appearance with the iconic 1957 Chevrolet, its last year of production was 2020. But in between, Chevy stopped and started production a couple of times in 1990. It was also the first Chevy to get the SS moniker.
- Ford Model T: 15 million
For decades, nothing could touch the Model T for the numbers built between 1909 and 1927. There were changes throughout its production, so in some ways, there were really several Model Ts. Henry fought to keep it going, but his son Edsel prevailed with the Model A beginning in 1928.
- Chevrolet Silverado pickup: 14,075,000
This one sort of crept up but is a testament to the popularity of pickup trucks in the U.S. Before becoming Silverado, its name was 1500, and then C10. The Silverado name began in 1975 as the top-of-the-line truck.
- Ram pickup: 12,135,000
Before becoming Ram, they were Dodge 1500 pickups. During Lee Iacocco’s tenure as head of Chrysler Corporation, it became Dodge Ram before dropping the Dodge name to become its own brand.
No. 6 to No. 10 of America’s best-selling cars ever
- Oldsmobile Cutlass
It’s amazing to think that the Cutlass hit 632,742 sales in 1977. That’s not the entire Oldsmobile line, just the Cutlass. And it got various spin-offs like the 442, Hurst/Olds, and Cutlass Supreme. Its last year in production was 1999, and Oldsmobile was shut down in April 2004.
- Chevrolet Malibu: 11,300,000
This is another sleeper and the second Chevrolet sedan on this list. First appearing with the all-new Chevelle midsize sedan, the name Chevelle eventually went away to become Malibu, covering the entire midsize line. It is still being sold today and will be the last sedan Chevrolet makes.
- Ford Mustang: 10,200,000
Since its introduction in mid-1964, the Mustang has been Ford’s most popular nameplate. Another idea from Lee Iacocca when he was head of sales for Ford, by the end of 1965, it sold over 680,000, which is mind-blowing from our 2023 perspective. The 2024 Mustang is all new.
- Oldsmobile 88: 9,647,000
There were Oldsmobile 98s, the top-of-the-line in the 1950s and 1960s, but the 88 was the middle Olds that hit a nerve with families looking for a bit more power. This was GM’s first overhead-valve engine model in 1949 and, of course, was the subject of what is said to be the first rock ‘n roll song, Rocket 88, according to SongFacts.
- Ford Explorer: 8,936,000
It is interesting that when the Ford Bronco was killed in 1990, the Explorer was its replacement. The Explorer is also the best-selling SUV in America. Its sixth generation, the current version, came out in 2019.
